Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Tel Aviv's Ayalon Freeway closed due to flooding for the first time since 1992

How much rain have we been having? The picture above is a more-or-less normal view of Tel Aviv's Ayalon Freeway during the winter. Note the train tracks on the left side of the picture. This view is heading northbound.

During our first winter here, in January 1992, there were three snowstorms in Jerusalem, and torrential rains in Tel Aviv and elsewhere. The Ayalon flooded each of those three times (and so many moronic Israeli drivers insisted on driving on it anyway that the insurance companies announced after the first storm that they would not cover anyone whose car was totaled due to flooding on the Ayalon that was already there when they got on the highway). I was commuting (by bus) from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv at the time....

During the summer of 1992, the government dredged the bottom of the Ayalon river (that's what runs down the middle of the highway) to make sure that we wouldn't have flooding on the highway again. And for 21 years, we haven't had flooding on the highway. Until now. Here's a video from a short while ago that was apparently taken in one of the train stations along the Ayalon.

Let's go to the videotape.

Yes, the Ayalon Freeway is closed because the Ayalon River (to the left of the train station - this is a southbound view) has gone over its banks, is threatening the train tracks and has gone onto the highway at far left.

The Highway's southbound and northbound lanes were closed to traffic
from the Glilot interchange just north of Tel Aviv to the south Tel Aviv
Kibbutz Galuyot interchange.

Southbound lanes on nearby Namir
road were also closed due to flooding, from Levinsky College of
Education to the Kibbutzim College. Police were instructing the public
to take alternative routes, such as Route 4, or to reach Tel Aviv only
in urgent cases. The closure of the Ayalon Highway caused heavy traffic
throughout central Tel Aviv.

...

Israel Railways announced on Tuesday morning that many stations are
closed due to flooding, including stations in Jerusalem - Lod and
Netanya blocks.

Israel Radio reported that there is a flood in Tel
Aviv Hagana Station, which is also closed. The public has been urged to
use the trains only in urgent cases,

Temperatures continued to
drop to colder than usual all over the country, according to Israel
Meteorological Services (IMS), with showers in the North and center of
the country with thunderstorms and very strong winds.

According to the IMS, it is unseasonably cold, with a strong risk of floods and flash flooding.
In
the afternoon the rain will spread to the South. By the evening, it
will be rainy and stormy in most of Israel, with snow over the high
peaks of the central mountains.

Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee)
rose 22 centimeters within 24 hours, which is a new record for this
time period, Army Radio reported on Tuesday.

Snow continued to
fall over the Hermon, with 15 centimeters of snow piling up in the
area’s ski resort. The Mount Hermon manager told Army Radio on Tuesday
that he hopes the ski resort could open for visitors over the weekend.

...

On Wednesday, snow is expected to fall in the tops of mountains in
the north and center, including in Jerusalem and a chance of snow over
the Negev Mountain.

Continuing throughout the week, showers and
storms are expected in nearly all of Israel, along with extremely strong
winds. Tempertures will drop further as it becomes extremely cold.

Okay, they're exaggerating. The 'extremely cold' predictions I have seen for Jerusalem are 28-30 degrees Fahrenheit during the night Wednesday night, but with strong winds. And keep in mind that our buildings are mostly built from stone so they stay cool in the summer. While we have heat in the house, it's not very effective, and we have not yet turned it on (we probably will by tomorrow), preferring to add sweaters and to sleep under warm blankets instead. And yes, it's a fortune to run....

1 Comments:

Well, the Jewish National Fund could be doing a big fundraiser right now. We've donated repeatedly based on their fabulous water projects (along with the trees they are famous for!). I hope they have all the valves open to fill the reservoirs they've built over the years. Cheaper than running the desal and recycle at full tilt. Here are some of their projects:

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I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-three years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 10 to 31 years and seven grandchildren. Our eldest daughter and eldest son are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com